And four months into President Obama’s term, the controversy surrounding his original birth certificate continues to dog his administration.

The Obama campaign, you’ll remember, posted a copy of what it said was the document on its Web site to try to dispel rumors that he is not an American citizen. But, an online petition calling for the release of what it describes as the president’s complete birth certificate with the hospital name has almost 400,000 signatures.

Today the president’s press secretary was incredulous that the issue just won’t go away. In a White House briefing he said: “This question, in many ways, continues to astound me. The state of Hawaii provided a copy, with a seal, of the president’s birth… I certainly hope, by the fourth year of our administration, that we’ll have dealt with this burgeoning birth controversy.”

Watch Laughing Boy’s body language. Look at his eyes. Listen to his tone.

We cannot place any trust in what Mr. Gibbs said. He and Mr. Obama have to do a much better job than Mr. Gibbs’ feeble and floundering effort at answering Mr. Kinsolving’s simple question. Obama should just do the right and simple thing for everyone’s sake and produce the real evidence of where he was born rather than have his political cronies dodge the question for him.